The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The continuous reductions in microprocessor size and cost and associated increases in processing speed have facilitated the proliferation of multiple processors within electronic systems, wherein each microprocessor is responsible for controlling and managing an operation of a specific electronic device and/or specific functions within an electronic device. Reduced processor power requirements further facilitates cost reductions in the power supplies that power multiple electronic systems, permitting multiple processors to share a single power supply.
With a shared/common power source, such as a DC battery power source, supplying power to multiple system components, power management can become an issue when one system component can place such a demand for power (e.g., such as starting or powering a compressor, a fan, a pump, or a motor), that the demand reduces the voltage of the power received by other system components. While such increased power demand from a single system component may be temporary, it can cause other system components that are managed by individual central processor units (CPUs) to malfunction when the voltage is temporarily reduced. The reduced voltage available to a processor controlling another electronic component can be below a minimum operating threshold voltage, causing the processor and the device/process it controls to malfunction.
Generally, power systems or processors are configured to reset a processor or to place the processor in a standby mode if the incoming voltage level falls below the minimum power threshold level. When a reset occurs, the processor loses the current status of its operation and the components it manages/controls must undergo a cold start-up process, similar to re-booting a computer after power failure. However, in the past, such system reboots have caused significant drain on the common power source when one or more processors, power loads or system attempt to reboot at the same time or in the wrong order. Additionally, often each of the components does not have prior knowledge of the low voltage condition. As such, each is forced to hard reboot when the power is insufficient to continue the normal operation of the system.